The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-13

One binding flash, followed by a terrific
peal of thunder, followed by an almost sitting
odor of sulphur, and the spirit of old Fran
CTS Woolcot left his ill-favored body. The
next morning in the neighborhood the roads
We're as dry and as dusty as if there had been
no rain in a week The thunder storm was
seen and Remembered by no one except the
watchers beside the old mans humble cot.
And their are people to-day who believe
that in that storm old Francis was taken
by his superior officer-the devil-clear to
hell.
WOoLCoT'S LIEUTENANTS.
One of old Francis Woolcot's lieutenants
wasa negro named Caesar Josh who lived in
Taghkanie, near the launches Barracks
before mentioned. One morning early, fifty
years ago, Farmer Richard Van Deusen,
and his son Lewis were going to Hudson to
market with a large two-horse lumber
wagon, laden with a ton and a half of
slaughtered pork. They saw in the early
morning old Caesar standing by the fence.
AS they came by the negro the horses sud
| denly fell fat as founders in the harness
The old negro laughed and stood still, max
ing no effort to help Mr.. Van Deusen and
his son. Both the latter got out and unhar-
messed the horses as far as they were able,
but they could not beraised. There was no
| ice in the road or any thing which should
| five or ten minutes. Finally the old farmer
said to his son: THAT old negro is in league
with the devil, and he threw the horses
down" The old negro then made an indie
| Scribable gesture with his hand as he walked
away. Then the horses, apparently without
the slightest effort, stood upon their feet,
the harness was untangled and the horses,
which had never before been guilty of any
balky conduct went on to Hudson as if moth
ing had happened.
A PHANTOM STEER.
| Old Francis Woolcot had been dead over
a year at this time, and it was said by the
simple country folks that his mantle had
| fallen upon Gear Josh. Soon after this
| Lewis Van Deusen was going to Hudson one
morning with load of grain for market.
| When he got into that section known as the
launches Barracks" seven or eight miles
| from home, day was breaking and it was
about light, so that he could see quite
| plainly. Beside the road just over the fence
was pasture. There was a knoll about
| thirty feet in height and covering about a
quarter of an acre of ground. All at once
the young man heard something which re-
sembled the heavy hoof-beats of a young
steer at full gallop around the knoll. ltwas
as if the steer or belwether had bell on its
neck, which tinkled sharply and loudly in
the frosty autumnal air But, although he
could see the knoll plainly, and could hear
the sound of rapid galloping and the sharp
tinkle of the bell, nothing whatever could
be seen of the animal Twice the hoof-
| beats and the bell went round the knoll.
Strain his eyes as he would, he could see
nothing but the knoll with its bushes and
stumps and stone in plain view. More
! than once old men who are now three score
and ten claim that in their boyhood days
| they have been terribly frightened by see
| ing the terrible night-riders going at a
| break-neck pace across the fields, leaping
| fences ard bushes with the greatest ease
They would suddenly appear and as sud
denly disappear. Search as they, would the
next day, they could never find the slightest
track or trace of the steeds.
! PROTECTED BY THE HORSESHOE.
| Once farmer named Vosburgh had about
a dozen hogs that he was fattening, III per
| in Copake One morning he found the hogs
walking around on their hind feet and froth
| ing at the mouth, as if they were terribly
| enraged. But he went into an adjoining
hedge, and finding three witch zelswitches
| he went into the pen and chastlsed the
the hogs vigorously After that they were
very quiet and tractable swine, and did not
act like the swine spoken of in the New
| Testament, who ran violently down steer
| pitch into the sea, where they were drowned
In order to protect his pork Mr.. Vosburgt
nailed upa horseshoe on his hog pen, and
neither old Francis Woolcot nor his emissa
ries could after that harm the hogs. But
| for many years yet among the Dutch de
scendants when gathered around their win
ter firesides the diabolical achievements OF
old Francis Woolcot, the man who sold his
soul to the devil, and who was the chief OF
[ thirteen witches, will be told to the wonder
ing members of the rising generation. They
believe it as religiously as did the Scotch the
tale the elder had told, and which were
handed down from father to son. 1t would
be a bold and unnatural child who should
profess to disbelieve old Francis Woolcot's
| achievements.